Prevalence and comparison of diagnostic methods for Trichomonas vaginalis infection in pregnant woman in Argentina

BEATRIZ PERAZZI; CLAUDIA MENGHI; ENRIQUE COPPOLILLO; CLAUDIA GATTA; MARTHA CORA ELISEHT; RAMÓN DE TORRES; CARLOS VAY; ANGELA FAMIGLIETTI

KOREAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY

KOREAN SOC PARASITOLOGY

Lugar: Korea; Año: 2010 vol. 48 p. 81 - 85

0023-4001

The objectives of this study were to conduct a prevalence survey of trichomoniasis in pregnant women and toevaluate the utility of different methods for its diagnosis. A total of 597 vaginal exudates from pregnant women who wereexamined at the Hospital de Clinicas in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1 August 2005 to 31 January 2007, were prospectivelyand consecutively evaluated. The investigation of Trichomonas vaginalis was made by different microscopic examinations,and culture on liquid medium. The sensitivity and specificity of the microscopic examinations were assessed consideringculture on liquid medium as the ?gold standard?. The prevalence of T. vaginalis obtained by culture on liquidmedium was 4.0% (24/597). The prevalence of T. vaginalis obtained by direct wet smear, prolonged May-Grunwald Giemsastaining, and sodium acetate-formalin (SAF)/methylene blue staining-fixing technique was 1.8%, 2.3% and 2.5%, respectively.The sensitivity of the direct wet smear was 45.8%, that of the prolonged May-Grunwald Giemsa staining was 58.3%,and that of the SAF/methylene blue method was 62.5%. Considering the 3 microscopic examinations altogether, the sensitivityrose to 66.7% and the specificity was 100% for all of them. This is the first time that the prevalence data of T. vaginalisby culture in pregnant women are published in Argentina. Due to the low sensitivity obtained by microscopy in asymptomaticpregnant women, the use of the liquid medium is recommended during pregnancy, in order to provide an earlydiagnosis and treatment.